Method of preventing eyelets in hosiery



Dec. 25, 1962 N. LEVIN 3,069,880

METHOD OF PREVENTING EYELETS IN HOSIERY Filed June 18, 1958 ,0 FEED N 3 INVENTOR States i 3,069,389 METHGD tllF PREVENTHNG EYELEfd IN HUSEERY Nathan Levin, 722 Edgewood Ave, Trenton 8, NJ. Filed Stone 18, 1953, Ser. to. 742,778 11 Claims. (Cl. tie-43) The present invention relates generally to the art of knitting and more particularly to seamless hose having at least a portion of the fabric thereof reciprocatingly knit of yarn individual thereto and to the method of commencing the knitting of said portion of the fabric.

Seamless hosiery of the argyle type generally comprises a rotary knit top portion, a reciprocatingly knit leg portron formed of a plurality of individual suture joined areas of separate body fabric sections, a rotary knit ring heel portion, a reciprocatingly knit heel portion, followed by the foot and toe portions. in some instances a rotary knit ring top portion may precede the leg portion, while in other instances, the ring heel portion may be eliminated. When hosiery of this or other types is made upon a plural feed machine and when the fabric preceding the heel, normally the ring heel portion, is made upon one or more feeds of the machine which do not include the feed upon which the heel portion is to be formed, when the heel portion is formed of its own yarn upon the heel forming feed. In this method of knitting, holes are usually formed in the fabric where the heel courses commence.

It is an object of the present invention to provide tubular fabric with a reciprocatingly knit heel portion or the like, formed of yarn individual thereto, wherein, at the commencement of the knitting thereof, the yarn is tucked in one or more spaced wales of the fabric in the course preceding the first heel course to anchor the yarn so as to prevent the formation of holes in the fabric.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of reciprocatingly knitting yarn to form a heel portion or the like, in tubular fabric, on a group of needles of a reciprocating circle of independent latch needles at a feed of a plural feed machine, wherein, the yarn, for

one or more needle circle strokes, is caused to form one or more tuck stitches, prior to the first course of stitches of the heel.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and from the appended claims.

in the drawings:

Fl-(3i. 1 is a side elevational view of an argyle hose having a leg portion formed of individual diamond shaped suture joined fabric sections and wherein the heel is formed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged stitch diagram of a portion of the inside face of the hose fabric of FIG. 1, showing a few courses and wales of stitches in the area of the commencement of the heel of the hose, as these stitches appear on the needles forming them.

H6. 3 is a schematic view of four feeds and a circle of needles of a four feed knitting machine, which may be of the Reading CK type.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing certain stages in the action of certain of the needles at feed No. l at the start of heel knitting.

As shown in FIG. 1, a hose of the argyle type has a top 10, a leg portion 11, a ring heel portion 12, a heel 13, and foot and toe portions 14 and 15. The top is usually rotary knit upon feeds Nos. 2 and 4, FIG. 3, of the machine, the leg portion 11, which may have other configurations therein, is usually reciprocatingly knit upon all four feeds, the ring heel 12 is usually rotary knit upon feeds Nos. 2 and 4, the heel 13 and the toe 15 are usually reciprocatingly knit upon feed No. 1, and the foot 14 is usually rotary knit upon a plural number of the feeds. In the present instance, the yarn Y, forming the heel and which may also be used in the foot and toe, is introduced into the hose at feed No. l at the start of heel knitting. The ring heel 12 is rotary knit to the course line 16, 17, 13, on feeds Nos. 2 and 4 at which point these feeds are made inactive, with the needles at low idle level thereat, and the machine commences to reciprocate for the heel formation at feed No. 1. The last rotary knit courses of ring heel 12, along line l6, l7, 13, are shown in FIG. 2 as courses 19 and 20, and the commencement of the first complete reciprocatingly knit course of the heel is shown as course 21. The wales are indicated at 22 through 29.

As may be seen in FIG. 3, a circle of independent latch needles is indicated at N in relation to the four circumferentially spaced feeds of a Reading CK movable cylinder machine. All of the needles form the ring heel 12. Substantially half of the needles, indicated at H, are the heel needles upon which the heel and the toe of the hose are formed, while the remaining half of the needles, indicated at I, are the instep needles which are idled at their low inactive non-yarn taking level during the heel and the toe formation. The heel needles H are adapted to be selectively actuated at feed No. it, during reciprocating knitting, to vary the number of needles forming the heel courses, as is well known, the inactive or non-selected needles remaining at the low non-yarn taking level. In the present instance certain of the needles are also selectively raised to tuck level at feed No. 1 to tuck the heel yarn.

The first forward stroke (counterclockwise) of the needle circle in heel making at feed No. l is shown at A in FIG. 4. As the needles of both groups. H and I pass the feed, a single needle 1-1-5, the fifth needle from one end of needle group H, is caused to traverse the tuck level path T and take yarn Y to form a tuck stitch thereof, all of the remaining needles traversing the low level path L without taking yarn. As may be seen in FIG. 2, needle 1-1-5 forms Wale 27 and the above described action causes the yarn Y to be placed in the book of this needle along with the ring heel sitch of course 20 which is also therein.

The first reverse stroke (clockwise) of the needle circle in the heel making at feed No. l is shown at B in FIG. 4. During this stroke all of the needles traverse the low level path L and take no yarn, the end of yarn Y remaining in the hook of needle H-5.

The second forward stroke is shown at C in FIG. 4 and this is similar to the stroke shown at A except that herein the needle H3, passing at tuck level T, takes and tucks the yarn Y, the needle H5 remaining at the low level L with the other non-selected needles. Referring to P16. 2, needle H-3 forms wale 25 and the described needle action causes the yarn Y to be placed in the hook of this needle along with the ring heel stitch of course 20. The needles which take and tuck the yarn Y (H-5 and H-3 herein) are adjacent to one end of the group of needles H.

The second reverse stroke is shown at D in FIG. 4 and in this stroke the first full course 21 of the heel is made, all of the needles of the group H, except the first needle H4, following the knitting path K to take and to knit the yarn Y, the first needle H4, following the tuck path to take and to tuck the yarn Y in Wale 23 on this needle. The yarn Y, tucked on alternate needles H4, 1-1-3, and 1-1-5, and lying at the rear of intervening needles H2 and H4), is cast oif unknit along with the casting off of the ring heel stitches in wales 25 and 27 and in the other wales of course 20, as the course 21 is formed. This causes the yarn Y to be tucked or to be incorporated unknit in the rear face of the fabric by the yarn of the sinker wales on each side of each of the needle wales 25, 27, FIG. 2, in a sinuous path extending over a number of sinker and needle wales adjacent the heel corner 37. In this manner the yarn Y starts the heel formation without any holes in the fabric, the yarn end being tucked in the fabric prior to the first stitches of the heel, these first stitches eing those of the first complete heel course.

The heel courses, following course 21, are formed in the usual manner, that is, by the Well know narrowing and widening action, and the tuck stitch of yarn Y in Wale 23 is cast off when the heel is sufficiently widened. In FIG. 2 the stitches are shown on the needles which are indicated by dotted lines. The stitch of course Ztl in Wale 22 is on a terminal needle 1-1 of the instep group of needle I which, of course, do not start knitting until the heel is finished. In this method of knitting, a tuck stitch of yarn Y is formed on the terminal heel needle H1 in Wale 23, as part of the formation of the first heel course 21, whereby the heel corner 17 is formed without holes.

In the above description, a pair of spaced needles, iii-3 and H5, have the yarn Y tucked therein, however, it is within the scope of the present invention, to tuck the yarn Y on more or on a lesser number of the needles which may be spaced as shown, or which may be otherwise spaced or placed in relation to the heel corner. In the event that yarn Y is tucked on one or more needles which are spaced from a heel corner so that there is a plurality of needles therebetween, then heel stitches of the yarn Y may be made thereon. In the event that the yarn is to be tucked upon a single needle, say needle H-S, prior to the first heel course, then the knitting action shown at B and C of FIG. 4 will be eliminated and the forward stroke A will be followed by the reverse stroke D.

The method of knitting has been described in connection with a tubular hose wherein the leg portion is reciprocatingly knit, however, the hose may be otherwise formed and the invention is applicable to any type of hose wherein the heel pocket, or the toe or other reciprocatingly knit fabric section, is started and knit on a feed which is not used to form the fabric courses preceding the same. It may also be used for the second yarn where there is a first and then a second yarn knit at a feed. In the event that the selective capacity of the machine is such that more than a single needle may be caused to traverse the tuck path T during a single stroke of the needle circle, then all of the needles to be tucked, may take the yarn Y to tuck the same in stroke A of FIG. 4, afterwhich the strokes B and C may be eliminated, and the first course of the heel will then commence with stroke D. In the event that the selective capacity of the machine is such that one or more single needles may be caused to traverse the tuck path T while following needles may be caused to traverse the knit path K during a single stroke of the needle circle, then in the event that the yarn Y is tucked on one or more needles which are spaced from a heel corner so that there is a plurality of needles therebetween upon which heel stitches may be made, then the needles to be tucked as well as the needles to knit said heel stitches may take yarn Y to tuck and to knit the same in stroke A of FIG. 4, afterwhich strokes B and C will be eliminated and the first full course of the heel.

will then commence with stroke D. It should be noted that tuck stitches in wales 25 and 27 are preferably formed only during strokes of the needle circle in one direction and that the first heel course is made during a stroke in the opposite direction. This permits the tucked portion of yarn Y to lie in a sinuous path in one direction, which does not mar the appearance of the fabric. It is possible to form tuck stitches of yarn Y on selected needles during strokes in both directions, however, tuck stitches so formed would cause the yarn Y to be reversed upon itself and undesirabiy mar the fabric appearance.

I claim:

1. At the commencement of the formation of the fabric of a heel pocket of a tubular hose produced by reciprocatingly knitting yarn at a feed upon a group of needles of a reciprocating needle circle of a multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the fabric of said heel pocket is formed in walewise continuation of other hose fabric produced at another feed of other yarn the terminal stitches of which are on the needles of said group of needles, the method of anchoring said first named yarn in the hose including the step of tucking said first named yarn upon at least one needle of said needle group along with the stitch of said other yarn then thereon and thereafter knitting said first named yarn on said needle group to produce said heel formation whereby said tucked yarn is caused to be incorporated unknit in the hose in such manner as to be held in place by the yarn of a pair of sinker wales of said first named yarn.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said first named yarn is tucked during a stroke of said needle circle in one direction and wherein the first course of said heel pocket is knit during a stroke of said needle circle in the opposite direction.

3. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein only a single needle of said needle group is raised during a stroke of said needle circle and wherein said first named yarn is tucked on said needle during said stroke.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said pair of sinker Wales is formed in the first course of said heel pocket.

5. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said one needle of said needle group is spaced from and is adjacent to one end thereof.

6. At the commencement of the formation of the fabric of a heel pocket of a tubular hose produced by reciprocatingly knitting yarn at a feed upon a group of needles of a reciprocating needle circle of a multi-feed circular knitting machine wherein the fabric of said heel pocket is formed in walewise continuation of other hose fabric produced at another feed of other yarn the terminal stitches of which are on the needles of said group of needles, the method of anchoring said first named yarn in the hose including the step of tucking said first named yarn upon a plurality of spaced needles of said needle group along with the stitches of said other yarn then thereon and thereafter knitting said first named yarn on said needle group to produce said heel formation whereby said tucked yarn is caused to be incorporated unknit in the hose in such manner as to be held in place by the. yarn of the sinker wales of said first named yarn on each side of each of the needle wales formed by said plurality of needles.

7. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein said sinker wales are formed in the first course of said heel pocket.

8. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein only a single needle of said needle group is raised during a stroke of said needle circle and wherein said first named yarn is tucked on said plurality of needles during alike plurality of strokes of said needle circle.

9. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein said plurality of needles of said needle group is spaced from, and is adjacent to one end thereof. 4

10. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein said plurality of needles include the third and the fifth needle at one end of said needle grrnp.

ll. The method set forth in claim 6 wherein said first named yarn is tucked on said plurality of needles during a like plurality of strokes of said needle circle in one direction and wherein the first course of said heel pocket is knit during a stroke of said needle circle in the opposite direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cole Sept. 5, 1944 Cole Mar. 27, 1945 St. Pierre May 1, 1951 Haddad Dec. 7, 1954 Hart et al Mar. 19, 1957 McDonough Oct. 17, 1961 

